Most of the interviewers will use behavioral questions when talking to you. These help them evaluate your aptitude and experience.
Behavioral questions are open-ended questions that require a more detailed response. A good example would be: ”What was one of your greatest accomplishments?” Phew, that’s a difficult one. We are here to help you work out a strategy of how to answer these type of questions.
STAR Formula
This formula is very easy to remember. It reads:
Situation – think of a situation from your work past when you had a challenge
Task – speak about the task which you had to solve
Action – explain what were your actions in overcoming that particular challenge
Result – talk about the results of your actions
Experience + Learn = Grow
This method is a bit more complex because you basically are taking the interviewer through your mental process. Using this method you not only talk about the experience you had, you also give details about what you learned and in the end draw a conclusion about how this experience made you grow and be better in your career.
No matter what strategy you use here are some simple but fundamental pieces of advice:
- Don’t go in unnecessary detail, give the interviewer the chance to ask you if they want more information
- Remain positive when recounting your experience. Don’t assign blame to anyone
- Identify the key competencies for the position you are interviewing for beforehand
- Look back at your work history when preparing for the interview
- Choose accomplishments and experiences that are relevant to the job you are interviewing for
You are now one step closer to landing your dream job!